Better SEO in posts and threads

[Smartea]

There shouldn't be a prefix included in seo title for posts.

The meta description should be a clean composition of text, so the first calculated paragraph or portion of a thread, without anything prefixing it.

This isn't just for google, it's for users who search. Even if you rank number one, it's not a good look and can be confusing otherwise.

Also. There should be recognition of an article thread vs a normal thread. I think an article thread needs tiny changes for seo, as it is more official than a regular thread.

Clean, elegant, and professional looking thread listings are needed, and if not for seo itself, for the perception and confirm it could inspire.

 

[cpvr]

Including a prefix in the thread title can actually help boost your SEO, depending on the prefix used.


For example, if you’re discussing a new game that’s going to be released on a console or platform, and your thread title includes a relevant prefix, it can help attract users and increase visibility.


As for the meta description, including some information from the forum topic is perfectly fine as it is. Google will create its own description if they find the site’s description irrelevant, or they’ll use the context of the thread instead. Your site will still rank well. It’s not confusing for users that are searching.

 

[frm]

I don't like the prefix in the titles myself, but this isn't a hard edit for anyone to do:

In template thread_view

<xf:title page="{$page}">{{ prefix('thread', $thread, 'escaped') }}{$thread.title}</xf:title>

To:

<xf:title page="{$page}">{$thread.title}</xf:title>

As far as formatting for articles, you'd need to be a bit more specific for what you'd like them to appear like as there'd be two approaches, a template edit like this adding something to the title to a custom thread field used as a completely different title than the thread title.

The approach for meta descriptions is more or less the same, using a custom thread field, and using it instead. Ultimately, search engines will decide what to use though.

 

[javakhir]

Prefix should be included & indexable! It helps to boost seo & saves time!
There is a addon, that makes prefix non indexable

 

[LynneStiltner]

I also agree that distinguishing article threads from regular ones is a smart move. A clean and professional layout improves user trust and helps with SEO too.